More marketing for OVOP products, services pushed

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

PRODUCTS and services under Kg Kilanas’ One Village One Product (OVOP) initiative need to be better marketed in order to reach more potential buyers, said its village head yesterday.

Hj Mohd Rais Hj Sabtu was speaking at the opening of the ‘Karnival Hijrah’ organised by the Village Consultative Council (MPK) of Kg Kilanas and the Brunei-Muara District Office.

“This (carnival) is to give them an opportunity to effectively display and promote their products. The products being sold by villagers are not well known to the public so hopefully, this carnival provides them a platform to relay on to the community what they (villagers) are selling,” Hj Mohd Rais told The Brunei Times.

He said that selling in a more conducive environment may reap more sales.

“The villagers may be able to expand their business by potentially getting more sales.”

The carnival, held at the mall’s foyer and opened until Friday, houses 36 booths of which eight are manned by Kg Kilanas villagers under the OVOP initiative.

Products under the village’s OVOP initiative include traditional handicrafts, Madu Kelulut (stingless bee honey) as well as traditional cakes.

In his welcoming remarks, the village head of Kg Kilanas also gave a religious talk in line with ushering the new Islamic year.

Hj Mohd Rais underscored the importance of _niat _or intention as a means to building and purifying one’s character.

“Correcting one’s intention also helps preserve the peacefulness of a community. It gives the person a righteous mindset that is conducive in preventing evil and wrongdoing,” he said.

He urged listeners to protect themselves from evil and to not use “the hand, eyes and ears as avenues of wrongdoing”.